"Do you know me?" Zainah asked, goosebumps rising over her skin.
This mummy was weird. It came out of the wall, could speak, was calling her its family, and it seemed to even know her. Was this an illusion, a scam?
Then, it also seemed to know about the weird crimson flower tattoo that had appeared on her earlier.
That had been magical, it had bound her tighter than a rope could ever bind.
It had frozen her.
Having closed his eyes to meditate, Sett ignored her. Focusing instead on another matter—his memories. They were, as expected, jumbled at the moment. But he could still remember key information, at least everything that was incredibly important for now.
I should run it through and think about everything once.
He was Sett.
Sett Ramses VII, the 7th Pharaoh—supreme emperor—of Ehyut, the empire of prosperity.
Smiling, Sett shook his head, wondering how many years had passed since that stopped being the case.
What generation was this now?
10? 20? Who is this generation's pharaoh? What's the empire like now?
"What year is this?" he asked, opening his blank eyes.
"...204 ATR," she replied.
"Just that much?" he frowned.
370 years since I used my Axiom to reincarnate. That's too short a time for me to wake up, isn't it?
He thought back on everything before his reincarnation. Axioms were a unique power that only the royal bloodlines awakened—one power for each user. History says that the ancestors of royalty mated with gods to achieve such results.
That was true, Sett knew it was.
And being the Pharaoh of the royal blood, Sett also had an Axiom.
Axiom of Reincarnation.
Thinking of it made him contemplative of his own past strength.
In ranking of cultivated strength, Tier 1 to Tier 5, the 5th Tier was the limit of mortal men, and Tier 6 was the domain of gods. In his last life, by becoming the Pharaoh, Sett had also reached Tier 5 with his Axiom.
To increase the power of an Axiom, one needed to attain a higher social status and gain control over more territory. As the Pharaoh, Sett had become the supreme ruler of the Empire itself, having achieved the epitome of mortal life! That had also made his Axiom incredibly strong.
That was not including the fact that he had also become a Tier 5 Tomb Raider.
But for me, that was not enough, I wanted a place among the gods, he thought, looking at his emaciated hand. And I failed in my attempt.
His Axiom was too weak in combat. Yes, it had the power of reincarnation that could help him reincarnate in another suitable body in his bloodline, a body with high potential—he could also help others reincarnate as long as they were alive.
But such an ability +was lacking by too much in the aspect of combat.
Raising his left hand, he stared at it with a deep gaze. That's why, near his death after the failure, he did something he always feared doing. He used the power of reincarnation on himself so that he would be born in a different body with a better Axiom.
His six royal daughters, one newborn son, five concubines, and the Queen all followed him into the reincarnation, too. His family. They were all marked using another person's Axiom. When they met him for the first time in this life, the crimson flower marking would blare to life. Thus, all people with that marking were family, and so was Zainah.
Why am I a mummy, though? And what is this body's Axiom? What happened to the Axiom of Reincarnation? Did it get destroyed in the process of my reincarnation?
Can mummies even think with their rotten brains, how does it work for me?
For now, his head was not clear enough to answer such questions.
Sett opened his eyes, finding Zainah pacing in circles around him. If it were not so dark, he could have made out her entire figure, face, and eyes.
Truly, he did wish to see it.
Zainah…
"You do love that little girl," he said with a smile.
"Of course I do, she is my sister!" she said, agitated. "How are you going to save her?"
"I am not going to save her, you are," he said.
"...YOU!"
"Calm down," he said, rolling his mummy eyes. "I don't have much power other than that of an above-average mummy's physical force. That's barely better than human male, in some cases weaker. If we wish to go and get your sister like that in those depths, it's probably well beyond impossible."
He could feel her blank stare on himself.
"But you are different," he reassured, "you have an Axiom, right? If we use it well, with my cooperation and your Axiom, we can move down pretty easily. We would have to worry about the Guardians in the depth but if we manage to get a Tomb Heart, I should be able to handle them from then on."
To awaken his own Axiom, which might or might not be a different one in this life, he would need to inject some energy into his body from a Tomb Heart. He didn't have such a source of energy in his own hand, but the energy from the crimson flower mark must have awoken Zainah's Axiom.
"Hahaha, what a great idea," she said, coldly. "Just that I don't have an Axiom. I am no Royal." Aptly, she also added: "Believe me, if I can't get Zarah back, I am ready to die trying to kill you."
He rolled his eyes and stood up, supporting himself against his knees.
"To say my great Zainah, the Playful Puppeteer, isn't royalty," he said with a disdainful chuckle. "Amusing. Amusing indeed. If you are not royal, no one is."
"Great Zainah, the Playful Pop Tear?"
"Yeah, Great Zainah the Playful Poop."
Sett rubbed his jaw, smiling with broken lips. If he said that in the past, Zainah would be sultry for a whole week. She would spend nights preparing weird nicknames for him.
On the other hand, Zainah suddenly felt puzzles click in her body, nerves shift, and bones realign. She grimaced. Her veins lit up a color of red, her hair flew in the air, and finally, amidst the brilliant light, Sett could see her naked figure in its whole.
He looked at it voraciously.
It was hot. Sexy. Beautiful. Royal.
Above all.
His.
Zainah had hair as black as coal, light skin that had been tanned in the desert heat, and pure green eyes that bordered on gem-like blue. She also had an abundant figure in all the right places.
Not even a difference in her moles. The same little mark on the thigh, and that little scar.
Even her assets look the same, perky, to the point, and sexy. Zainah is still Zainah physically—sigh, the mental part is the issue. Her soul should also be the same but her memories have changed, she had lived a life as a blank slate for years now and has already gotten another life going.
She had no knowledge about her true self from the past, and of course, she would feel rejection.
Step! Step!
Due to the commotion there, mummies started to move towards them from multiple directions, but in one direction, a hole suddenly opened up and swallowed them all in a gulp.
In another direction, a hole opened in the wall and released fire, burning them to a crisp.
Only one direction remained and those mummies all moved towards them at great speed.
Sett looked around, calm.
I have the bandage surrounding my body to burn, I can easily run away with Zainah if need be, he thought, but that seems unnecessary.
An elegant bone flute appeared in Zainah's hand and she looked back at the mummies with a blink. She seemed frightened at the sight of so many hideous creatures running towards her, but then, she forced herself to calm down.
The flute touched her graceful lips.
A music that Sett could never forget echoed into the surroundings.
Axiom of Playfulness—Ability: Song of Playfulness.
The growling mummies all stopped in their tracks and after a second, began dancing like fools.
"Huyya, Huyya, Huyy!"
Sett also began dancing.
"What are you doing?" Zainah asked, her expression complex.
"Giving sound effects to their dance," he replied.
"You…" she hesitated. "Whatever, come let's go. Where is she?"
"Deeper." He looked into the dark depths. "And from now on, we should be safe with your Song of Playfulness on our side. Normal mummies can't resist it."
"...What about you, can you resist it?"
"I mean, no mindless creatures can resist the effects of the Song of Playfulness but sadly, I have a mind."
They began running, and while at it, she asked, "Won't I grow exhausted if I use this… Axiom, too much?"
"Oh, it's just a Tier 1 attack, you can use it till your throat is dry. No magical cost of magical power and whatnot—it uses the power of the world itself. You can't understand, so just do what I say."
Zainah... nodded. She was not blind, she could see that the mummy before her was weird, but she also smelled infinite wealth in its existence.
Deep down, if Zarah had not been in a crisis, she would have already been celebrating.
The thing that only Royals had, an Axiom. Now, she had it too. A stupid little thief from a stupid little city's dirty alleys, and she had an Axiom.
Call her worthless again, a thief again, and she would show them what it meant.
Axiom of Playfulness... it is called.
She shook her head.
But without Zarah, it's useless, she inwardly couldn't help but shiver.
She remembered her own advice.
Zainah, a thief has to always keep her eyes open. Even when asleep.
She decided.
I will keep a clear eye on the mummy, no one ever gives things without expecting something else in return. There is no free lunch in this world.
What does he want? What is his motives? Is he taking me to my death?
She was naked, so the air in the Tomb felt ever the more cold. For the Axiom, she had a feeling she would have to pay with something incredibly precious.